Police chase preceded New Milford ATV tragedy

Published 1:00 am, Saturday, February 21, 2009

NEW MILFORD -- Ray Chappuis was a popular community servant and outdoor adventurer who went for a ride on his all-terrain vehicle in 2005 and never returned home.

The night of Dec. 26 that year, the 48-year-old Chappuis -- a former assistant town fire marshal and
Town Council
member -- hit a utility pole on Papermill Road after a short police chase that police say ended shortly before the crash.

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Rather than stop, Chappuis raced down Stone Tent Road, a narrow one-way road, which prompted a half-mile police chase to the intersection at Papermill Road, where police say the pursuit was called off.

Chappuis continued north on Papermill Road, past
Pratt Nature Center
, where he lost control and struck the pole.

Whether the police chase led to the tragic turn of events is a moot question for family and friends. No legal action was ever filed against the
New Milford Police Department
, and family members on Tuesday declined any comment on the matter.

Chappuis owned his own contracting business, was divorced and had two sons -- Alan, now 22, and André, now 13.

"He, to this day, is sorely missed,'' said
Pete Bass
, a current Town Council member and friend who met Chappuis, a former local athlete and recreation leader, through the New Milford Bulls youth football organization.

Bass would not speculate on what preceded the crash.

"To be honest, I never thought about blame -- not blame on his part, or on anyone else's part," he commented. "When people go out and do certain things, or perform certain tasks, things happen. All you can do is hope for the best and move forward."

As a council member, Bass said, he would leave decisions about police pursuits to police department leaders.

"If someone is traveling at a high rate of speed, and they are not apprehended, that could be a major accident waiting to happen," he said.

"I would, myself, leave that up to the discretion of the officer and chief because they deal with that every day. They know when it is needed, and when it is not needed,'' Bass observed.

Deputy Chief
Norbert Lillis
said Chappuis was well-known to many in his department and said no chase is initiated without careful consideration of public safety and that of the officers involved.

Lillis said he is confident department protocols were followed that night to avert a potentially dangerous situation.